Senior Underwriter

Abound
London, United Kingdom
HybridCareer-pivot friendly

Who this role is best for

Aimed at senior underwriting professionals with a background in financial services who are comfortable with AI and Open Banking technologies.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with leadership experience and a focus on alternative lending methodologies
    — “Lead from the Front. As part of the Underwriting management team”
  • Individuals who have previously driven underwriting performance and team development
    — “We are looking for someone who leads by example, brings energy to the team”
  • Professionals with a strong grasp of fraud/AML and customer vulnerability frameworks
    — “A developed understanding of fraud/AML, customer vulnerabilities”

Things to consider

  • Requires at least three days per week in the London office despite hybrid flexibility
    — “Hybrid with 3 days a week in the office”
  • Involves monthly Saturday work, returned as overtime or time in lieu
    — “One Saturday a month- returned in Overtime or time in lieu.”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with alternative credit assessment models and AI tools
    — “Using advanced AI and Open Banking data”
  • Demonstrate leadership in training and mentoring junior underwriters
    — “Provide guidance to junior underwriters, assist in training and supporting new joiners”
  • Showcase past contributions to process improvement and system optimization
    — “we are looking for someone who is not afraid to speak out when they see a chance to better ourselves”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • balanced underwriting decisions
  • team performance improvement
  • process optimization
Typical background
experience in underwriting or risk managementstrong regulatory understanding

Skills & requirements

Required

Credit AssessmentUnderwritingTeam LeadershipRegulatory ComplianceAI Technology

Preferred

Open Banking AnalysisFinancial Modeling

Stack & domain

Credit AssessmentOpen Banking AnalysisTeam LeadershipUnderwriting DecisionsRegulatory UnderstandingLeadershipCommunicationProblem-solvingTeamworkOwnershipAccountabilityFinancial ServicesPersonal LoansCredit ScoringUnderwriting

About the role

Original posting from Abound via Ashby

About Abound

We’re redefining consumer lending in the UK, and beyond. Using advanced AI and Open Banking data, we make fair, affordable personal finance available to more people. While traditional lenders rely almost entirely on credit scores, we look at the full financial picture - how much you spend, and what you can afford to repay to build a deeper, more accurate understanding of each customer's unique financial situation.

And we've shown it works at scale. We’ve issued over £1.3bn in loans directly to customers while delivering market-leading credit performance - for every 10 defaults the industry expects, we see only 3. We also reached profitability just 2.5 years after launch.

Backed by £2bn+ of funding from top-tier investors including Citi, GSR Ventures, and Deutsche Bank, we’re recognised as one of Europe’s fastest-growing fintechs (Sifted, CNBC). Now, we’re expanding into new markets and product lines - and we’re looking for ambitious people who want to learn fast, take ownership, and grow with us.

About the Team

We are a successful financial services enterprise that offers personal loans in the UK. Our mission is to increase access to affordable loans by looking beyond credit scores- we consider a person's earnings, spending habits and overall financial health to drive our lending decisions. We launched in March 2021 and have grown exponentially since, with further exciting plans for the future.

We pride ourselves on bringing affordable lending to the market whilst making the right decisions based on the individual rather than their credit report. Our determination, approach, and resourcefulness have set us apart from our competitors for the better.

We have an open plan office, encouraging lateral communication of different departments to bolster both individual and collective expertise, knowledge, and collaborative support, where you can apply your experience and skills to further develop and improve aspects of the business and yourself.

How we work:

Shifts: Monday-Friday (shift patterns) TBC

One Saturday a month- returned in Overtime or time in lieu.

Bank holidays – Two bank holidays per year- returned in Overtime or time in lieu.

About the role:

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Underwriter to join our team working on our Unsecured Lending product. This role offers a broad range of responsibilities, including team leadership, credit assessment, and supporting the scaling of performance and targets across the function.

You will be a highly valued member of the team, combining strong regulatory understanding with solid company and product knowledge to make balanced, commercially aware underwriting decisions.

The ideal candidate will thrive in a target-driven environment, take ownership naturally, and act proactively without needing to be asked. We are looking for someone who leads by example, brings energy to the team, and is confident in making decisions in a fast-paced lending environment.

What you'll be doing:

  • You will use top-of-the-range, in-house built technology that blends traditional lending methods with Open Banking analysis.
  • Lead from the Front. As part of the Underwriting management team, you will be a pillar for other team members and will cover TL’s in times of absence.
  • As we grow as people and target our processes and systems that need constant monitoring and updating, we are looking for someone who is not afraid to speak out when they see a chance to better ourselves.
  • Maintain a strong understanding of industry regulations, staying up-to-date with changes in the financial industry that may affect underwriting decisions.
  • Provide guidance to junior underwriters, assist in training and supporting new joiners, quality control and feedback.
  • Successful members of Underwriting could get the opportunity to work on new products outside unsecured lending, including mortgages, foreign lending and Auto

Who you are:

  • Minimum two years’ proven experience as an underwriter, preferably in a senior role
  • Strong understanding of the importance of targets, how to reach them ourselves and help others.
  • Proficiency in data analysis and evaluation.
  • A developed understanding of fraud/AML, customer vulnerabilities and a keen eye for detail/recognising concerning trends.
  • Healthy IT and mathematical foundational knowledge with excellent written English and communication skills.
  • Ability to make informed decisions under pressure and to be able to pivot in a fast-changing environment
  • Ability to work independently and take steps to enhance own knowledge when and where required to enrich yourself and the wider team.
  • Exceptional personal organisational skills, time management and a strong work ethic.

What we offer:

  • Everyone owns a piece of the company - equity
  • Hybrid with 3 days a week in the office
  • 25 days’ holiday a year, plus 8 bank holidays
  • 2 paid volunteering days per year
  • One month paid sabbatical after 4 years
  • Employee loan
  • Free gym membership
  • Team wellness budget to be active together - set up a yoga class, a tennis lesson or go bouldering

Source: Abound careers (Ashby)

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